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The College of Liberal and Fine Arts

On the Air with COLFA Alums

By Kiko Martinez

Flip on the TV or radio, and the faces you see and the voices you hear might just
be graduates of UTSA’s College of Liberal and Fine Arts (COLFA). From the national
platform of NBC Sports to the local public TV station KLRN, COLFA alumni are contributing
to the ever-changing media industry one story at a time. Here’s a look at
some of the COLFA alums making a difference in their field.

NATURAL STORYTELLER
Michael Valdes, anchor, FOX News

As one of the original members
of the local FOX News (KABB-TV)
team that made its debut in 1995,
news anchor Michael Valdes says
that while the technical side of the
industry has changed over the last
17 years, the job is still the same.

“The cameras have gotten smaller
and the TVs are now in HD and
it’s easier to go live, but it’s always
been about storytelling,” said
Valdes, who earned his degree in
philosophy in 1993. “Your audience
still relies on you to get the story
right and tell it in a compelling way.”

Valdes, who comes from a family
of educators, began his higher education
at UTSA looking for something
he could be passionate about.
He discovered it in philosophy and
in his media internship.

“I enjoyed being in the newsroom
and watching how things
operated and how things got done,”
Valdes said. “I found it incredibly
attractive and something I could
excel at.”

Studying the works of philosophers
like Plato and Aristotle has
also helped him in his career.

“I always try to take a different
point of view and break something
down into a way that makes sense
for the story,” he said. “UTSA helped
me hone my logic skills and adjust
to whatever the situation.”

Austin-based reporter Bettie Cross
always knew she wanted to work in
the media, but when she came to
UTSA in the early 80s, a communication
degree was not offered.

Cross, instead, earned her degree
in political science after taking
advice from a news director at a TV
station where she was interning.

“He told me I should figure out
what I really want to specialize in
and become an expert in that,” Cross
said. “That’s when I realized I didn’t
necessarily need a degree in journalism.
Instead, I made UTSA work
for my career plan.”

With a passion for politics, Cross
walked into the industry with practical
experience.

Over the last three years, Cross
exchanged covering hard-news
politics for stories on lifestyle and
entertainment. Until recently, she
was the co-host of Austin Live,
which aired weekday afternoons;
she is now an anchor/reporter for
TV station KEYE in Austin, TX.

Over the last three years, Cross
exchanged covering hard-news
politics for stories on lifestyle and
entertainment. Until recently, she
was the co-host of Austin Live,
which aired weekday afternoons;
she is now an anchor/reporter for
TV station KEYE in Austin, TX.

FINDING HER FORTE
Jamie Martin, radio co-host, KJ-97

“I didn’t know what I wanted to
do when I got to UTSA,” said Jamie
Martin, chuckling a bit. “I thought,
‘Well, maybe I’ll do something
in the business field,’ but I wasn’t
strong at math. I never thought
about going into radio.” A job posted
in UTSA’s job bank got the ball
rolling, Martin said. That position
led to two others that ultimately
landed her in radio.

Today, Martin, who earned her
degree in communication with a
concentration in technical writing
in 2002, can be heard on local country
music station KJ-97 alongside
Randy Carroll weekdays from 5 a.m.
to noon.

“A lot of the stuff I learned at
UTSA was writing, editing, and
grammar,” said Martin. “I apply all
that to what I do now at KJ. You’d
be surprised how much writing we
do for radio.”

Martin urges students who
might not know what they want
to do upon entering college to
ask themselves a simple question:
“What am I good at?”

“Pursue that,” she said. “Everyone
is good at doing at least one thing,
so find out what that is and go for it.”

ON A MISSION
Mario Vazquez, President & CEO, KLRN

Last October, alumnus Mario
Vazquez was named executive vice
president and station manager at
public television station KLRN in San
Antonio; effective October 1, 2012
he was named President and CEO.
A student at UTSA in the mid-80s,
Vazquez returned to the university
in 2006 to finish his degree in political
science.

“My whole life turned around
in a very positive way after that,”
Vazquez said.

After serving on the KLRN board
for three years, Vazquez accepted
his new position because of the
mission of KLRN and the work the
station does for the community. He
never anticipated going into the
media industry, but felt KLRN was
the right place for him.

“I’m not sure if I would have gone
to any of the commercial stations, but because KLRN is public television
it inspired me,” he said.

At UTSA, Vazquez said he
learned how to question things,
not to accept the status quo, and
to think beyond his own opinions.

“UTSA challenged me,” he said.
“You don’t have to go to California
or the East Coast to get a top-notch
education. You just have to put in
the effort and work if you want to
succeed.”

NOT MISSING AN OPPORTUNITY
Monica Taylor, anchor, FOX News

Although she started as a finance
major her freshman year, Monica
Taylor, anchor for local FOX News
(KABB-TV), jumped at the chance
to study public relations when the
concentration in the Department of
Communication became available
her sophomore year. She earned her
degree in communication in 1998.

After making the rounds in the
public relations sector, including
time with Spurs Sports &
Entertainment, Taylor took the
opportunity to move to the other
side of the industry and join the
FOX News team.

“It was a natural transition for
me,” Taylor said. “I love public relations,
but I couldn’t say no to FOX.
It’s been a great experience.”

Taylor, who can be seen on
FOX News First, thinks students
who plan to enter the field should
be passionate about the work
because there is a lot of competition
out there.

“Go out and do an internship so
you can feel it and touch it,” Taylor
said. “An internship will help you
understand what this industry is
all about.”

OLYMPIC READY
Michelle Beadle, reporter, NBC Sports

After three years with ESPN, Michelle
Beadle has moved to NBC Sports.
According to USA Today, Beadle’s
NBC Sports deal includes a role on
“Access Hollywood.”

“The TV thing wasn’t even something
I had ever thought about,”
Beadle said in a past interview. “I
think a lot of people I went to high
school with find this funny, what I’m
doing now.”

In her new position with NBC
Sports, Beadle covered track
and field events during the 2012
Olympics in London. In the past
she has also had stints with Animal
Planet, Travel Channel, and People
Magazine, and she covered the
Golden Globes and other entertainment
awards shows.

“I really don’t live sports,” she
said. “I feel like to do my job well,
I can’t just know sports. You’ve got
to be a good human. You have to
know what’s going on.” Michelle is
a 2002 graduate of the Department
of Communication.

ON A QUEST FOR KNOWLEDGE
Judie Garcia, anchor/reporter, WGN-TV Chicago

While she admits she has never
taken a journalism course in her
life, WGN-TV Chicago anchor and
reporter Judie Garcia says her time
at UTSA during the late 80s gave
her a lot more than just a specialized
education. It taught her
to think.

“Every news director I have ever
worked for will say that the most
important skill a reporter can bring
to the table is not knowledge of
journalism, but a general curiosity
and broad-based liberal arts education,”
said Garcia, who earned
her BA in English in 1990. “All the
courses I took taught me to think
critically.”

Along with the internships she
was afforded during her collegiate
career, Garcia credits the professors
at UTSA for preparing her for what
she calls a “quest for knowledge.”

“Today, I am still able to quote
lessons from my political science,
biology and French professors from
UTSA,” Garcia said. “UTSA’s professors
are not only knowledgeable
in their field of expertise, but are
also able to share their passion in
such a way that it inspires you to a
higher level.”